The Usual in Baru

To my mom and the other 2 people that read my blog- “Que mas” from Isla Baru!

I got a few requests to write about my usual day here in Santa Ana, Baru. So here in my suprisingly slick and childish sense of humor...a day in Colombia.

Every morning I wake up fairly early because I’m an idiot. However, in reality it’s not a bad thing because starting next Monday, my school begins at 6:30 am! Despite my pretty ghetto bed and the sheets that somehow are nonexistent when my eyes open, I sleep pretty well! When I was a little guy, getting me out of bed was a nightmare process for my parents. Not just because I despised school, but because in New Hampshire its cold for almost 8 months of the year! My loving yet frugal parents always turned off the heat at night, which I enjoyed at night, yet cursed in the morning. There were many mornings where I could see my breathe and the last thing I wanted to do was leave my heaven that was 3 blankets and a huge comforter! I write that to tell you…I don’t have that problem here. Have I not mentioned this climate resembles the underworld?

So once my eyelids open and the ears turn on- I am graciously greeted by about 1000 roosters. Though they are often not in unison, I have come to appreciate their desire to sing to me every morning! Here I pray for a lot of you (the ones I like) and finish the prayer with “and please Lord may I not get stung by a scorpion this morning.” Pretty much on the second day here I found one of these tiny, rare, and deadly divine mistakes (ducking as I write this) chilling out on my bathroom floor. So needless to say- I now move around about as fast as my little Italian grandmother (shout out to Rita!). I check my shoes and throw on some running gear. Got to start the day right pounding the dirt roads before it turns into a blazing inferno!

I open my door and feel like Noah. “Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you…” Amidst the poverty and obscene amount of trash that is my morning view of Santa Ana, are usually pigs, dogs, cattle, goats, variety of birds, lizards, roosters, and my favorite animal the donkey! I see much more of this as I run but the fact that it hasn’t rained here for months deters me from getting out my blueprints of the ark.

A cold shower never felt so good than when I come back from these runs! I am cautious to make sure I don’t drink an ounce of water there, but honestly, I’m on a island with no running water (we’re the only ones who have it) and an garbage problem…I’m screwed. I fully expect to hug the porcelain many times before I leave here, but I am cautious nonetheless. My amazing breakfasts in Bogota are now an afterthought! It’s a bowl of good ol’ Kellogg’s and a banana. I do get some good coffee (special shout out to Edna)!

So the rest of the day is school stuff. I am at the public school here in Santa Ana which is going to be very rewarding but challenging. The last few days have been just lesson planning with our Colombian teachers (in the South we say "God bless them but..."). Should be interesting because during our first meeting, we came to learn that though they have spent the last 5 years teaching English, they have written nothing down in the form of lessons and or annual plans. So as you might imagine, my prayer life is being tested but I believe we are going to be alright. Tell you more about that soon. Class starts next Monday!

I want to share my favorite part of the day with everyone! We live right next to one of the “pueblos” of Santa Ana. If you just thought Cherokee Indians or somewhere along those lines...punch yourself in the gut. In South America this just means rows of small little homes which result in a quaint but poor neighborhood. I have made it a point to get out and just lift the people to him in prayer. In these moments God has opened up doors for me to meet a lot of great people of all ages. If you happen to forget, I live in South America and they speak Spanish here. Which means at this moment, there is a lot of smiling, proper salutations, and moments where I just listen and wish I understood. But in everything I do, I love them. I love them as He loves you and me! It would be hard to describe how much I wish I could really converse with them, but for the meantime I am content on loving them by giving them my time and appreciation. The best part is the 15-20 kids from the neighborhood whom I have introduced to ultimate Frisbee! These kids are athletes but it’s more laughs that competitive remarks. I walked out of my room yesterday evening to all of them yelling at me to come play (which took me a moment to translate)! Remember who Jesus said was the greatest- if you just though Ali- read Matthew 18. These kids rock and I ask that you pray over my South American Sandlot. May He open up doors to share His truths with them and their families despite my limited Spanish! These people are beautiful and I’m excited for those who might come to meet them!

After a light dinner because my eternal temperature is now 1000 degrees, I grab this here blessing of technology and touch down in America for a while. After my fix of “home” I walk back to my place for bed. On the way I politely ask a few donkeys if they wouldn’t mind keeping their debauchery down this evening. I threaten them by saying I wont let them enter the ark if they abide by my demands! I wonder how much I would jack up the ecosystem if I omitted a few animals? Lucky for them I am a fan of Eeyore and I would never do anything malicious despite how much there mating keeps me up. Too bad that Disney did not create a character who was a scorpion! Sucks to be them! Hope you enjoy the rain- suckahs!

(P.S...I know its not going to be rain but fire next time...save the email, it was a joke. Ha!)

Change of Plans

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-8

Been loving that verse as I have started experiencing the highs and lows of living here. Please keep me in your prayers as I desperately try to rest in His arms and stop trying to walk my own path.

The WorldTeach Colombia orientation in Bogota was awesome! I am so proud to be a part of this organization and to be among such an impressive group of people.

I have gotten a few requests to describe what a normal day has been like in Bogota. So I will do my best to capture what it’s been like for me and my new friends as we just wrapped up orientation and headed out to our placements throughout Colombia!

For me, each morning usually starts with an early morning run on the streets and in a nearby park. The first time I ventured out I must admit it was possibly the hardest run I have ever gone on! Minus the fact that in the weeks before I left, I possibly enjoyed every bit of America’s finest cuisine (love me some cheeseburgers), the altitude was a killer! Bogota is the third highest capital city in the world! I bet playing checkers at 9000 feet would have been rough! Then you have the pollution which is not uncommon for a city of almost 8 million people and together you feel like a COPD patient on crack (couldn’t think of anything creative here).

Once I got back, I enjoyed a nice breakfast of fresh squeezed juices (mango, kiwi, strawberry, and blackberry), scrambled eggs with ham and tomato, and a plate of amazing pineapples and various melons! Let me not forget the amazing cup of real Colombia coffee to which I would down 2-3 cups every morning (speaking of crack). Being so early, I usually did my daily devotional here each morning and must admit that each morning started almost perfectly! Everyone jealous yet?

If you let out a “ah I’m jealous?” statement- take it back. After I wrapped up my wonderful morning routine, it was time to work! Harvard University and their program WorldTeach (http://www.worldteach.com/) sent us to Colombia to teach English! While there are many ESL teachers in the states- there are like 2 good ones here in South America. The fact is that while English is taught in most schools as early as 1st grade- 93% of the Colombian “English teachers” do not know English! So kids in all areas of the country are graduating with the knowledge of “Hi, mi name es Jose,” and nothing more. One might say “so what’s the big deal that they don’t know English, I mean come on, its South America!” Well, Bob Smith might be right for a few people, but the reality is that English equals money. Strategically, this year’s Colombian placements are all in areas of both tourism and trade! It can be stated that if you take two Colombians (in these areas) who have the exact background and education but one knows Uncle Sam and the other doesn’t- the one who knows English will earn up to 30% more money per year! If you just watched Romancing the Stone or possibly Clear and Present Danger and think these people are living large off emeralds and cocaine- not so much my friend. This country is poor and I am learning from Colombian officials and just about every poor sap on the street, education is to blame. A few global educational statistics rank Colombia comparable to some African countries! Yikes!

So with all of that said- they beat us up to make sure we don’t drop the ball here. At one point the Minister of Education in Colombia herself gave us a pep talk! We usually started the day off with 1-2 hours of Spanish class. I was put in the lower class…no surprise there. I must also admit that I felt like I ran a marathon after that class- geez! Then it was 2-3 hours of ESL teacher training, Lunch, and 3-4 hours more! We practiced all educational components and were given the opportunity to student teach at a local school (where the children may have been smarter than me…now). They also threw in classes around culture, history, safety (thanks US Embassy for scaring the crap out of us), and social issues. We got the opportunity to see famous Bogota sites as well as breath taking fieldtrips outside the city. Nothing like 23 Americans getting out of a sweet air conditioned charter bus with digital cameras flashing. I am shocked none of us was kidnapped (I’m kidding Mom…kind of).

Though it was intense, WorldTeach put together one of the best orientations anyone could ask for. I think this whole group feels well prepared and incredibly motivated to carry out this mission! I am excited to begin teaching and the doors He will open up to witness within this community.

As for the title to this blog today…there was a change in plans for me! Originally, I was supposed to be in the beautiful city of Cartagena where I would be teaching university students. However, a cool girl in the Isla Baru placement was not comfortable with the situation there and asked to switch. When no one was willing to do so, I prayed over it, and when the big wigs at WorldTeach said it was a go, I accepted the switch. What does this mean? Well, Isla Baru is only 45-90 minutes (depends on mode of transportation) South of Cartagena which means I will still participate in the IMB ministry with Kendall on the weekends! These people need Jesus more than they need English. Isla Baru is also close to the beautiful Playa Blanca (Google that!) which is awesome! But I have to admit it’s the extreme opposite of Cartagena in that it’s the ghetto. These people are amazing, but the small communities of 4000 people live in absolute poverty. This is one of the reasons “the switch” appealed to me because I know this community has its hands out asking for help in so many ways (possibly more so than Cartagena)! I will write more about the fascinating dynamics here and hopefully post pictures soon!

Hope everyone is well but I need to go outside and see why these donkeys insist on mating right outside my window! Gotta love Baru! Stay tuned…

E

First Day of School- Again

Is there anyone out there who enjoys packing? If I ever strike it rich, you better believe that right alongside me having someone whose sole job is to scratch my head (weird…I know), I will also have a personal packer! Without getting hosed by all my female friends, I will say that my packing habits may be slightly similar (that’s all I’m saying). I tend to bring a lot more than I should which was may have been the case for this next year to Colombia. I simply comment to this because as I write this entry, I am staring at a huge heap of clothes, shoes, hats, and a bunch of random objects that somehow managed to find its way into my bags! Did I mention that I already have another bag waiting for me in Cartagena- thanks JD and Laura! Ha! I am like my Mom after all!

A special shout out to my parents who drove from Maine for Xmas, take my truck, and my beloved dog Ellie! Even though I was certainly not myself the last few weeks before I left, it was such a blessing to have them with me. On top of just being around them- they kept me focused on everything I needed to do before I boarded the plane! This was huge for me, because as I experienced every emotion one would feel before leaving the country, I often found myself not wanting to think about leaving. So hence, I was not that productive. If you are Ed Financial- I plan to defer my loans- thanks! Yet, as I hugged my parent’s goodbye and gave my very special 4-legged loved one a nice smooch, I entered the airport super excited to start this next journey.

Over the last few months I have know that there were going to be almost 20 people going with me to Colombia. All of us have been placed into teams that would teach in Isla Baru, Cartagena (Me), Barranquilla, and 2 placements in the beautiful Quindio region of Colombia. I also knew that the whole group would spend 2 plus weeks together in Bogota for our WorldTeach orientation. Having moved out of my “old school” shyness bit, I was pretty excited to meet everyone, but possibly a bit nervous.

Growing up, I absolutely dreaded the first day of school. One, because it was school and I thought it was created by Satan himself (now I’m teaching…wow) and two, because I had to endure the awkwardness that it meeting new people when all you would rather do is play basketball, be fishing, and watching Michael Jordan highlight films. But I guess I have grown up a bit because as I hopped in bed, and in the last time for a while, told Ellie it was “time for nigh nigh,” had her jump up, give me a kiss, and very gently pulled back the covers and curled up to the back of my legs (again weird- but cannot tell you how I miss that), went to bed without much problem. The night before Ironman was like being on crack but leaving everything I have known in Nashville resulted in a ridiculously good night’s sleep- hmm?

I met the group in Houston and the rest was history. I cannot tell you how cool these people are! You ever been at a weird gathering with long lost family, telling your story, answering redundant questions, all the while secretly wishing a comet would come down and remove you from this world? Well, needless to say I have had not in one moment felt anything along these lines here! I have heard this was the most competitive year WorldTeach has ever had and after meeting these people and getting to know their experience, I certainly feel privileged to be here. I can tell you that the regions in Colombia that WorldTeach and Volunteers Colombia have partnered with- are going to be blessed.

I remember in 2nd grade crying behind the Eastman School cubbies the first day of school, after my Father literally dragged me into the school, wishing bad things upon the man who invented learning! But here I am once again, coming full circle, studying hard here at our Bogota orientation with a group of people I have only know for 1 week- excited to go to my teaching placement in Cartagena! I know this country has a drug problem, but has anyone tested the water because I’ve been feeling pretty good.

Please keep all of us in your prayers as we all part ways for our placements in the next week.

Adios!

The List

This time last year I was staring down at my hands (in the classic hunt and peck typing style I have perfected) writing down everything that I have always wanted to do but never made it a priority or had the opportunity to do. As this insanely enjoyable euphoric experience came to an end, I had successfully identified 68 things to which I hoped to accomplish in 2009.

My friends thought I was crazy and unrealistic and while this was true in my ways, it was amazingly refreshing for me to do this. While such things as reading a Henry Thoreau novel while canoeing Walden Pond, getting a tattoo (you’re welcome Mom), or back packing Europe were never accomplished- I was able to knock down the list considerably. My cousin Mike and I went vegetarian for a whole month, I completed Ironman Florida along with a few other athletic goals, I learned an authentic Hispanic dish from an authentic Hispanic family, and just a few days ago I competed in a Krystal eating contest to which I gluttonously ate 20 of those nasty little things in 15 minutes (don’t recommend that one)! While I only accomplished half of this crazy list, my perspective on life was somewhat shattered.

Through this experience I came to believe there are few barriers that can effectively get in the way of our dreams and desire. More powerfully I came to believe there are no barriers that can get in the way of Gods desires for our life if we rest in Him. The Lord says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” If we are able to crawl into His enormous hands each day, is there truly anything that might thwart the plans of the Creator God who wants to give us everything He perfectly designed for us?

While I still want to learn how to scuba dive, start a wine collection, and create my own holiday and celebrate it, I know that deep down the happiness I receive from such accomplishments pales in the comparison to the complete joy of walking along the path He had created for me.

I’m now sitting here in Bogota, Colombia where my life has come full circle. I am with a great organization and 20 awesome people who truly want to be a positive light to a country where the needs are obvious. In a few weeks I’ll head to Cartagena and begin work at the University and with the IMB mission team there. While I know there is so much from language acquisition to teaching proficiency that will need some serious work, I am really happy! I am blown away by the doors He has opened for me and I am very excited to follow His lead here in South America.

Was uprooting all that I have known in Nashville for the last 10 years to pursue this next chapter in Colombia part of my list? The surprising fact is that it wasn’t but that as I have drawn closer to God over these last years- in amazing cool fashion He revealed His list for me! So while I encourage everyone to make your 2010 dream list (it was fun!) above all things delight in the Lord and be prepared to have your world turned around for the better!

Hope to post a video update from the “Athens of South America” in the next few days! I miss you all so much…and my awesome dog Ellie!